Sikhs protest Birmingham play

Over 400 Sikhs rallied against a play depicting sexual abuse and murder in a Gurdwara, reports Vijay Dutt.

Over 400 Sikhs demonstrated outside the Birmingham Repertory Theatre while many tried to storm the venue to stop performance of Behzti, which depicts acts of sexual abuse and murder in a Gurdwara. The anger was shared by other communities also.

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A councillor told HT that he was surprised that despite protests and condemnation by followers of other faiths in the past, like the use of figures of Hindu gods on items like shoes or as icing on cakes, no care is taken to avoid hurting sentiment of various communities. More recently the depiction of David Beckham and wife Victoria on a wax reproduction of Nativity at Madame Tussaud's was also denounced by the Church of England and the Vatican.

In the protest rally in Birmingham, five police officers were hurt in the struggle and two men arrested for public order offences. No theatre-goers were reported injured. Behzti (Dishonour), written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti — herself a Sikh — has a scheduled run at the theatre until the end of December and explores issues of sexual abuse, manipulation and relationships in the setting of a Gurdwara.

Earlier, the city leaders said they were worried about the effects of the play after being contacted by the Sikh community. Khalid Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, said the play had been written to cause maximum offence.

But the theatre said the play was a work of fiction and made no comment about Sikhism or its followers.

Ironically, the issue has erupted at a time when the government is trying to introduce tough new laws banning all acts that might cause religious hatred. But ,the legislation, which would protect all faiths, has been criticised as a restriction on free speech.